Bellingham to Make Body Cameras Mandatory for Officers

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — The Bellingham Police Department will require all uniformed patrol officers to wear and use body cameras starting this summer.

The Bellingham Herald reports that police Chief Cliff Cook has decided to make the devices mandatory for all officers starting in July.

The chief's decision comes after the department first introduced body cameras in 2014. Since then, the department has run a voluntary program, allowing officers to decide whether they want to wear the devices.

Cook says the body cameras have proved beneficial for the department, in prosecuting suspects and showing how officers act in different situations.

The department has 110 cameras and more on the way.

The costs for storing the video camera footage will run the city about $35,000 to $56,000 per year for two years.